All posts by z3u9t.icu

Giovani Lo Celso was snubbed from Tottenham Hotspur’s starting XI once again at the weekend.

It would have been hardly a surprise considering that the Argentina midfielder only returned to this country a day before the trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United, but fellow countryman Cristian Romero started, as did Brazil international Emerson Royal.

All three had been on national team duties during the break and played as recently as Thursday and into the early hours of Friday, but it is rather telling that Nuno Santo trusted the latter two to start but not the attacking maestro.

Lo Celso has started just one of his four Premier League appearances, and in that game against Chelsea, he struggled to last much past the hour mark, whilst he did not even come off the bench on Sunday, thus highlighting his struggles under Nuno thus far.

His chances of earning a regular spot in the top-flight appear to be getting slimmer and slimmer, particularly after Tanguy Ndombele’s fine performance up in the northeast.

As explained by The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, the French midfielder ‘thrived’ in the 3-1 victory and earned the joint-highest rating in his post-game column.

‘Scored a sumptuous strike to drag Spurs back into the game and looked like a proper No.10. Full of nice touches, flicks and skills, including in the build-up to Son’s goal, and was livelier than usual out of possession,’ the reporter wrote.

This spells trouble for Lo Celso as he will now find it even harder to break into the side. That’s a worry for a £55m signing, one who has seen his value plummet since arriving from Real Betis in summer 2019.

Transfermarkt now value him at £19.8m, a shocking 64% decrease in the space of just two-and-a-half seasons. He’s just 25, so that fee should be ever-increasing as he heads towards the peak years of his career.

It’s even more disappointing when you consider the kind of praise he has received during his time in north London.

Harry Winks described him to The Guardian as a “technically gifted player” who is “not afraid to get stuck in”, whilst his former Spurs manager Jose Mourinho dubbed him “phenomenal.”

One figure who must be fuming with the situation is chairman Daniel Levy, as the signing is a mark of his credentials. Usually known as a tough negotiator, the Spurs supremo splashed out a joint club-record fee on a player who has failed to impress much at all in N17.

Indeed, the Argentina international has only contributed eight goals and five assists across 73 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Levy has endured a nightmare so far with the signing of Lo Celso – the only positive is that the Argentine still has plenty of time to turn around his Spurs career, but whether or not he can very much remains to be seen.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs transfer claim ahead of January…

An update has emerged on Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce, regarding his future at St. James’ Park…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has dropped a fresh update on the future of the 60-year-old following PIF’s recent takeover of the club.

“Amanda Staveley says NUFC owners have [the] ambition to match superpowers like Man City & PSG.

“Also: Bruce set to be replaced, with owners ready to settle £8m payoff, Rodgers among names mentioned. Shearer/Keegan contacted with view to ambassadorial roles.” he tweeted.

Hope’s report claims that the new owners, who have taken over from Mike Ashley, are poised to relieve Bruce of his duties and pay him the £8m required to end his contract early, which would be an exceptional return from Your Bonus Code.

Delight

This development from Hope will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling delighted for more than one reason.

Firstly, it means that Bruce is set to leave Tyneside after a difficult spell in charge of the club, with the ex-Sunderland and Villa coach far from loved in some sections of the fanbase.

A recent survey by the Newcastle United Supporters Trust found that 94.3% of the fans wanted Bruce to resign as manager, with 95.3% of fans believing that the club will be relegated this season.

The latter statistic may change following the takeover and the potential change of manager, although NUST will need to produce another survey to accurately realise that prediction.

This suggests that fans will be delighted, in the main, that Bruce is on the verge of being sacked.

The owners are showing an immediate intent to make changes at St. James’ Park and their willingness to part ways with £8m within days of arriving to sack the 60-year-old is a signal of intent from a footballing and financial standpoint.

Supporters could also be buzzing with this news because of what it means post-Bruce.

Once his exit is confirmed, should this report prove to be accurate, then Newcastle will be in the market for a new head coach under an ambitious new regime and that could be an exciting prospect for fans to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Irrespective of who they get in to replace Bruce, the decision to let him go appears to be a shrewd one on paper. Newcastle are currently 19th in the Premier League and winless after seven matches, with Norwich – who have lost six of their seven games – the only team with fewer points than the Magpies.

No team has conceded more goals than Newcastle and this dreadful start to the campaign has shown no signs of getting better in recent matches. This, along with the feeling amongst the fanbase towards Bruce, is why this decision by PIF could be an excellent one.

AND in other news, “An early casualty”: Reliable journo drops NUFC takeover claim, fans will be ecstatic…

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has rubbished claims that Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey could be heading to Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Ruben Neves heading in the opposite direction.

According to Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, the two clubs are in discussions over a potential swap deal just hours before the transfer window slams shut.

Juventus put former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey up for sale before the window even opened as injuries and a loss of form have resulted in him making just 66 appearances for the Italian giants.

The Wales international’s wages of £400,000-per-week have resulted in Juventus being willing to sell Ramsey for as little as £10million, according to TuttoJuve.

Neves, 24, has been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal during the transfer window but Wolves do not appear keen on letting the Portugal international leave Molineux.

Hatfield is not expecting Ramsey and Neves to trade clubs with the deadline getting closer.

He told Football FanCast: “Swap deals, in general, don’t happen too often because there are so many moving parts.

“You’ve got both clubs having to want either player, both players wanting moves to those clubs and then the wages and playing time have got to add up. It’s so hard to get a swap deal done nowadays.

“It wouldn’t shock me if you see Neves still at Wolves. Ramsey’s wages are a hard one to overcome.”

Leeds United will be looking for only their third win of the season as they head to the south coast for this evening’s late kick-off in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side make the trip to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton and Hove Albion, having been defeated six days ago by Tottenham Hotspur.

The Argentine has had to deal with numerous injury problems throughout the season, which is why the Yorkshiremen find themselves in an early-season relegation battle, though they can alleviate such worries with a victory tonight.

What sort of side could Bielsa name? He has been handed a triple injury boost ahead of kick-off, so here’s how Football FanCast think the Whites could line up…

There may be two changes to the side which suffered a 2-1 defeat in north London last Sunday.

With Rodrigo and Raphinha both available for selection, having missed the trip to Spurs, they should come straight back into the starting XI. That’s at the expense of £52k-per-week Dan James, who has looked poor and lightweight in recent weeks, and Mateusz Klich, who was only just recalled to the side in the Spaniard’s absence.

They should join recognised centre-forward and academy gem Joe Gelhardt and Jack Harrison in the attack.

It means we could see a midfield three of Stuart Dallas, Adam Forshaw and Kalvin Phillips, with the latter sitting a little deeper as Bielsa’s long ball-playing anchorman.

Further back, it’s likely that the Argentine reverts to a back-three, meaning that Pascal Struijk keeps his place but shifts inside from left-back, with skipper Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente joining him in front of Illan Meslier.

Leeds United’s predicted XI vs Brighton (3-3-1-3): Meslier; Struijk, Cooper, Llorente; Phillips, Dallas, Forshaw; Rodrigo; Harrison, Raphinha, Gelhardt.

AND in other news, Leeds could finally land key Marcelo Bielsa target this January…

Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden could be perfect for Southampton, Carlton Palmer has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern.

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has made it clear he is looking for a new midfielder and Hayden seems to be one that is on his list.

According to The Sun, the south coast club are targeting the 26-year-old in a deal that could cost £10m.

Hayden would bring some bite to Southampton’s midfield, with the Englishman posting some pretty good defensive numbers last season.

As per WhoScored, he averaged 2.2 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game in the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, leaving him at the top of those two categories in Newcastle’s squad.

On Southampton’s reported interest in Hayden, Palmer told TT:

“Perfect, perfect. He’ll fit into their budget in terms of what they can afford, he is experienced and he can play at that level.”

Given the Saints’ need for more bodies in midfield, Hayden looks a no-brainer, especially at £10m.

Indeed, if they can get a deal done, it could be very good business. Retaining what they already have will also be important this transfer window, though.

Aston Villa have, of course, targeted James Ward-Prowse but have so far failed in their pursuit of the player.

Italian football expert Conor Clancy thinks that West Ham target Nikola Milenkovic would be affordable this summer. 

The Fiorentina defender has less than one year left on his current contract which expires June 30 next year, and the Serie A outfit could look to cash in on him this summer rather than risk losing him for free then.

West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that the club are in talks over a deal for the 23-year-old, however the Hammers face competition for the defender. The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare reported that Tottenham Hotspur also have an interest in Milenkovic and he believes a fee of around €15m could be enough to conclude a deal.

On the fee for Milenkovic, Clancy told Transfer Tavern: “I think he’d be affordable from an English perspective because Italian clubs tend to sell when English clubs come knocking. What an Italian club sees as a good fee and what an English club see as an affordable fee are usually quite similar.”

Milenkovic can also operate as a right-back and grabbed himself three goals in Serie A last season, and with the reported interest in him, West Ham are going to have to move swiftly if they are to capture the signature of the defender this summer.

Former Premier League manager Lawrie Sanchez doesn’t believe that Nuno Espirito Santo will launch a transfer raid on Wolves this summer.

Santo is on the verge of becoming the new Everton manager, which has already led to reports that several Wolves players could follow him to Goodison Park.

Two names that have been mentioned are captain Conor Coady and attacker Pedro Neto, whom Santo bought to the Premier League from Lazio back in 2019.

Both players are currently tied down to long-term deals, meaning Everton’s owners would have to dig into their pockets, with 21-year-old Neto currently valued at £35m on Transfermarket, whilst Coady is priced at £22.5m.

The centre-back has been impressive since Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League, missing just one league game, and that was enforced due to Covid-19, whilst Neto has established himself as one of the hottest prospects in the division following some impressive goals and assists over the last two years.

Despite those links, Sanchez exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he doesn’t expect Santo to raid his former side:

“Some of them would have played under Bruno Lage at Benfica. They’re not moving to clubs worse than Wolves, that’s for sure.

“If they’re good enough to move on and clubs want them, then they will move, but I don’t think there will be a mass exodus at Wolves.

“Managers change, players can’t quite leave like managers, so if they do leave like Jota, they will leave for top dollar.”

Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side could be handed yet more transfer sanctions by the EFL.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon’s report for The Sun, in which the journalist revealed that Derby could be handed a two-year transfer ban by the EFL – if the Rams do not settle their outstanding transfer debts.

Nixon continued by stating that these reported unpaid transfer fees are now late for a second time, with the governing body giving Mel Morris until the end of September in a final chance for the owner to settle the debts, or else the Championship club could be restricted from signing players until the summer of 2023.

Fans will be fuming

With Rooney already having to operate under strict EFL transfer guidelines this summer, with the 35-year-old having brought in five free agents on restricted wages, the news that the former England captain may now not be able to bring in any further new signings over the next two years is sure to have left fans of the club fuming.

Indeed, while the Rams boss has done an impressive job so far this season considering the testing off-field circumstances – with Derby picking up six points over their opening five fixtures of the Championship campaign, suffering defeat just once – should the club indeed be forbidden from bringing any fresh faces in over the next two seasons, the chances of Rooney’s side remaining in the second tier of English football by the end of the potential transfer ban would appear to be slim to none.

As such, the 35-year-old manager and fans of the club alike will undoubtedly be hoping that Morris can resolve the situation prior to the EFL’s deadline, or else the owner could well be consigning the club to relegation to the third tier come the end of the season.

In other news: £180k-rated Derby County flop who lost possession 22x let Rooney down badly vs Blades

Rumours have been flying around about why Nuno Espirito Santo decided to leave Wolves, and a lack of funding this summer appears to be the main reason, something Wolves legend Steve Bull can’t rule out.

Wolves spent heavily last summer on a few additions instead of spreading the money across improving the whole squad and both Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva have not delivered this season despite costing a combined total of £63 million.

After Nuno’s squad was rocked by injuries throughout the campaign he was eager to add some much-needed reinforcements, something the Fosun group were not as happy about, throwing in the expected sale of Ruben Neves for £35 million and the picture becomes a lot clearer as to why he left.

The Wolves faithful will be disappointed if a lack of funding was what forced Nuno to leave and think he couldn’t take the club forward with the squad he has, and that’s something Bull believes can’t be ruled out as he spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“We’ve done a lot of loan deals over the last two seasons and some of them have paid off but others haven’t. I’d like to see a lot more permanent signings coming into the club.

“The supporters just want success and the only way you achieve that is through spending money, and whether Fosun refused to give Nuno money, who knows?”

The Fosun’s apparent lack of willingness to give Nuno the financial backing he required may have something to down with them attempting to buy Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.

If money isn’t going to be widely available at Molineux this summer then they may have to rely on Jorge Mendes’ contacts and ability to get young Portuguese players into the Premier League on loan deals.

West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh have shared a promising transfer update out of Rush Green involving Leeds United and Premier League star Raphinha.

The Lowdown: Hammers make move…

Hammers boss David Moyes, according to reports, was heavily interested in signing the Brazilian playmaker over winter.

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West Ham apparently made a move for Raphinha in January but to no avail with the South American coming as yet another marquee target GSB couldn’t bring in for the club.

Their bad luck in the last transfer window has even lead to doubts surrounding head of recruitment Rob Newman, according to Claret & Hugh again, with the Irons chief now facing a pivotal summer window.

As Newman aims to take his next set of opportunities to land key targets, C&H have shared an update on Raphinha and West Ham’s interest.

The Latest: Newman could launch ‘cut-price’ move…

According to their information, West Ham, and by extension their transfer chief Newman, are keeping a ‘close eye’ on Leeds’ situation in case they’re relegated.

The club insider goes on to say that the Whites’ drop down to the Championship could allow West Ham to ‘launch cut-price moves’ for Raphinha and another target in Kalvin Phillips.

C&H add that ‘deals will surely be there to be done’ if Jesse Marsch’s side go down.

The Verdict: Promising update…

Signing a player of Raphinha’s calibre for a bargain fee would be pretty special, especially given his serious links to La Liga giants and footballing heavyweights Barcelona.

The 25-year-old has been a revelation at Elland Road and one of their most pivotal figures, with ex-top flight goalkeeper and pundit Paddy Kenny claiming he has been ‘unbelievable’.

Raphinha’s sensational numbers back his obvious quality with the Whites superstar averaging more shots at goal, key passes and successful take-ons per 90 than anyone in Marsch’s squad this season (WhoScored).

If Leeds do indeed drop a division, we believe West Ham shouldn’t hesitate in making a bargain move for the attacker.

In other news: As of now: ExWHUemployee shares West Ham player update after agreement reached…find out more here.